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No one is exactly sure why this tradition started, but since 1903, U. Senate bean soup has been served in the Senate dining room every day – the only mandatory recipe on the menu. The only exception, according to Senator Elizabeth Dole, as told to her by her husband, Bob Dole, was in 1943, during World War II rationing. It only happened for one day, and then bean soup was back on the menu.
Don Perez, the Senate dining room’s executive chef back in 2003. I’m taking a couple of liberties with the soup – Chef Perez admitted he adds a little garlic – and a recipe attributed to Senator Fred Dubois in 1903 includes mashed potatoes and parsley. I’m skipping the potatoes, but the parsley adds a splash of color that I can’t pass up. Because I will have a ham bone and leftover ham from Easter dinner. I’m notorious with my in-laws for taking bones home with me from family dinners. This recipe was invented to use up leftover ham.
Well, I don’t know that for surebut it looks like what the Senate’s chef would do the day after serving ham. If you’re looking for other recipes with dried navy beans, check out my Instant Pot White Turkey Chili. It doesn’t get more American than bean soup from the United States Senate lunchroom. Sort and rinse the beans: Sort the navy beans, removing broken beans, stones, or dirt clods. Rinse the beans and set aside. Saute the aromatics: Heat the butter in the pressure cooker pot over medium-high heat until it stops foaming.
Saute until the onions are softened and browning around the edges, about 8 minutes. Pressure cook the beans: Drain the navy beans, rinse, and add to the pressure cooker. Set the ham hocks on top of the beans, then pour the water over everything. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an electric PC, or 26 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure release naturally, about 20 minutes. Shred the ham hock, season, and serve: Remove the ham hock from the pot with a slotted spoon or tongs, and set aside to cool. Ladle 2 cups of beans into a blender and puree the beans, then stir back into the pot.
